Toby Alderweireld has underlined his happiness at returning to Tottenham's starting line-up.
The centre-back was handed a first Premier League start in almost six month as Spurs were held by Brighton in a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday.
A hamstring injury sustained against Real Madrid on November 1 saw the defender sidelined until February when he played the full 90 minutes against Newport and Rochdale in the FA Cup.
However, in the two months has passed since, Alderweireld has only played 90 minutes from Belgium since amid strong speculation over his future.
"It was difficult, they defended very well," Alderweireld told the Tottenham's official website. "We tried to break them down and I think we deserved to win.
In Pictures | Brighton vs Tottenham | 17/04/2018
"I’m happy I could help the team and I’m very pleased with the 90 minutes."
Standard Sport understands Alderweireld, who is on £50,000 a week, has long wanted pay parity with Tottenham's top earners in order to extend his contract.
The Belgian's current contract expires next summer, though the club hold the option for an extra year which will trigger a £25m release clause. The clause will be active for the final two weeks of the 2019 summer transfer window.
